Kamala Harris returns to Los Angeles County to help wildfire victims
Following President Trump's inauguration on Monday, former Vice President Kamala Harris returned to Los Angeles County to help distribute food and to thank fire crews in Altadena.
The Eaton Fire began ravaging the neighborhood and surrounding communities nearly two weeks ago. With damage assessment teams still conducting surveys, it has destroyed a little more than 9,400 structures, making it the second-most destructive wildfire in California history. It has also damaged roughly 1,000 buildings.
It is also the deadliest fire in LA County history since the 1933 Griffith Park Fire, which killed 29 people.
Firefighting resources were already stretched thin when the Eaton Fire started after the Palisades Fire quickly spread through the LA County coastal community because of intense Santa Ana winds producing 100 mph gusts.
An estimated 331,335 people were affected by evacuation advisories because of the fires when taking into account U.S. Census Bureau figures combined with information from local fire authorities. For perspective, 331,335 people can fill SoFi Stadium three times over.
Tens of thousands of residents remain evacuated as rescue and recovery efforts continue.
After the winds died down, containment around the two blazes began to rise as the much-needed aircraft dumped water and retardant.
Harris' visit comes as the National Weather Service issued the third "particularly dangerous situation" warning in the past month.
"This is already the third Particularly Dangerous red flag warning issued in the month of January, which is 'unprecedented' for this area," said James White, an incident meteorologist with the NWS.
As of Monday, crews have contained 87% of Eaton and 59% of the Palisades Fire. However, the burn scars remain a concern for air quality monitors especially with high winds potentially kicking up dust and ash.